Title: Dry My Soul
Rating: K+
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Pairing: Tiva if you squint.
Summary: Ziva jeopardizes her own safety attempting to spare an innocent girl from a terrible fate; as a result they both go missing. Fortunately, Team Gibbs will stop at nothing to find the child and reclaim their lost agent. Tiva if you squint.
A/N: Yes, the beginning of another Multi-chapter Fic. How about finishing the ones already published you ask? Well, I'm working on that too, I promise! Though, as some of you might have already noticed I finally decided to delete my story "Save Me For A Day", so there's really only one unfinished piece left (with the exception of this one of course). I might re-write SMFAD someday but for the time being I'm gonna focus on completing this new instalment (which I'm kinda stoked about) and my other project "Disconnected". Yeah I know, about damn time, huh? Anyway, I hope you enjoy and please take a minute to leave feedback, it means a lot. Peace!
Dry My Soul
By: TheBluePiglet
For how long she's been running she doesn't know, but the frantic hammering of her racing pulse speaks for quite the while. Her breath, now coming in short gasps, jerks her entire body as she continues to make her way through the woods.
She's scared, borderline petrified, and it's getting increasingly difficult to keep the fear from evolving into full fledged panic, which would do her no good. Her chest feels as if on fire as she pushes herself to keep going, forcing tired legs to carry her onwards, muscles screaming for oxygen.
Quickly regaining her posture after nearly tripping over a log she hears a chilling laugh, another attempt to drain the girl from the little courage she's got left to depend on. She knows she is running for her life and she is determined not to go down without a fight. Not that she has much of a choice. What were the alternatives? To give up and let them have their ways with her? To surrender and fall prey to the hungry demons chasing her? No. She has too much left to do in her life, too many pages yet to fill.
Momentarily caught up in her inner resolve she fails to see the web of roots covering the terrain before her. The girl lets out a yelp of surprise as her shoe collides with something sticking up from the ground, causing her to fall handlessly onto the forest floor. Her skin shreds at the impact and she soon finds herself crying out in pain.
She stumbles to her knees in a desperate attempt to get back on her feet, only to have her legs give out when she fights to stand. The girl allows another scream to make its way up her throat, this time filled with agonising horror. This was it; they were going to kill her.
A cold hand smashes down on her scalp, grabbing her by the hair. She hisses furiously and thrashes around to escape his grip but to no avail. He smacks her across the face with enough force to send her scrambling to the ground. She's whimpering now, trying to crawl away, but there's no escaping his ruthless palms.
She's vaguely aware of two other figures watching her intently from shadows behind her attacker, panting and grinning like wolves. She's outnumbered.
"Get away from me!" Her word's doesn't ring as confident as intended. The supposed demand sounds more like a plea, and she realizes, it is. I don't want do die. I don't want do die. I don't want do die.
The man straddles her, effectively pinning her down with his weight, and she wonders if his disgusting smirk is the last thing she will ever see. His eyes are wild, and in them she sees only death. When realization finally hits her she feels her lungs starting to crumble, and the air is suddenly too thick to breath. I'm not getting out of this.
If life were to flash before her eyes now would probably be the time, but something unexpected interrupts. The firm words filling the night are spoken with such resolution it has her heart skip a beat and suddenly, she can breathe again.
"Step away from the girl, or I will shoot."
"Offer still stands you know," Tony informed his guest for the evening once more, watching her adjust her scarf so it would cover the majority of her face. "It's freezing outside."
Ziva forced down a sigh that threatened to erupt from her lips. She knew he only meant well, but this was getting increasingly ridiculous by the minute. "And sleep on your couch again? No thanks, I would prefer keeping my vertebrae intact."
"I'll take the couch." He insisted.
She raised an eyebrow. "Just like you did in Paris, hmm?"
"It's not my fault the Europeans are incapable of producing good furniture." Tony muttered in defence.
"Half your apartment is taken right from an IKEA catalogue, Tony."
"Technicalities," Tony continued, his face now morphing into a knowing grin. "I mean, it's not like you seemed to mind the company anyway."
"And I do not remember implying so, either."
He held her gaze for a curious moment before finally deciding to get back on the previous subject. They really did have to revisit that at some point though. "But seriously, it looks like it's gonna rain."
She couldn't look more indifferent at the statement. "Guess I had better hurry then."
Traces of worry still etched his face as she grabbed her bag and reached for the door. She raised both hands in frustration. "For God's sake Tony, I will be fine!"
He smiled, a familiar spark suddenly present in his eyes. "I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't worry, now would I?" The sincere delivery of words sent her heartbeat racing. Why was it he always appeared to have this effect on her?
"I know," She admitted in another sigh. "But I am a big girl." Leaning slightly forward Ziva allowed her lips to briefly brush against his right cheek before turning to make an exit. "I will see you tomorrow then."
"Yeah, tomorrow." Tony chuckled in agreement as he watched her leave, well aware he was no doubt blushing like a fool.
A few minutes later Ziva was ready to admit that Mother Nature really wasn't providing her with ideal walking conditions.
She pulled her jacket tighter as she pushed the staircase door open, immediately met with a strong gust of wind. It really was freezing, not that it made a difference. Ziva wouldn't spend another night on Tony's God forsaken couch if so forced at gunpoint. Sure, he had offered her his bed, but seeing how well those sleeping arrangements had worked out in the past she decided that a little air couldn't hurt. So she promptly stuck her hands into her pocket and hurried off.
She had made it halfway home when a noise to her right caught her attention. Alerted Ziva squinted into the wooded area next to the road, listening carefully.
An aggrieved cry sounded from behind the brushwood; a female, obviously in distress. Ziva didn't like the possibilities that came rushing to mind.
She dialed Tony's number, hitting call before placing the cell back in her pocket. She then unholstered her Sig from where it was safety tucked in by her waist and started to slowly make her way into the dim thicket.
Ziva rounded a tree, gun drawn, peering into the woods trying to further locate the source of the cry. There, another scream.
Ziva glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was pursuing her and crept up behind a giant stock. Once she became aware of the scene taking place behind the bark she had to act.
"Step away from the girl," She demanded, taking aim at the man still on top of the girl. He was weighing her down in between his legs, holding her arms in a firm grip behind her back thus immobilising her completely. "Or I will shoot."
Startled by the outburst, the man turned to look at her. Alas, the momentarily shocked look left his features almost as fast as it appeared, only to be replaced with a fiendishly smile.
Ziva didn't waver. "I told you, step away from the–" Two bulky arms locking her neck from behind cut her off mid sentence.
Bending over she managed to escape the chokehold, sending her attacker flying forwards on his back. Then, out of the corner of her left eye she saw another figure darting out of the bushes. Unable to stop him in time the third man buried his fist in her temple in a merciless blow. Her head cracked against something sharp as she collided with the unforgiving ground. The air whooshed out of her as he placed a forceful kick to her abdomen, and then another.
Ziva's breath came in short gasps, jerking her chest with every shallow intake of air, as she fought the blackness threatening to consume her.
A firm grip by the throat dragged her from the mud into a sitting position, her scarf lost in the struggle. The clammy hand squeezing her cheeks together while lifting her head up sent shrills down her spine. A cold wind blowing across her exposed neck had her shivering as someone whispered in her ear.
"My, aren't you a pretty one? And feisty, too. I think we'll have to keep you as well."
Ziva's last thoughts went to the poor girl, still at the mercy of the monster of a man a few yards away from her, before her vision blurred and she slipped into total darkness.
TBC
I have yet to finish writing this story so I'll keep updating as I progress, so if you like what you see you're more than welcome to tag along for the ride!